World Witches Project: ASSAULT
by StrikerStanding692
Summary: All the world had done was defend themselves from the oppression of the Neuroi during the first and second Neuroi world wars. Witches were the strongest and last line of defense the planet had. With them banded together, they were unstoppable. Though if their reality is changed and none of them existed... the dimension would have collapsed in the change...
1. Chapter 1

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change."  
from **Mary Shelley** , **Frankenstein**

* * *

After the events that happened of the third assembly of the Strike Witches near the Rhine, everything had changed. The world faded in white. Everyone who saw this was about to wake into a different reality.

Yoshika suddenly snaps her eyes open she looks around and sees nothing but blackness. Her head moves, but her body cannot. She was still wearing the same sailors' school suit from Yokosuka that she usually wears. She could not understand why her body can't move, but she knew that she can't force herself. Though she can't get out, she has to know why. Suddenly, a flash of an image came to her. It was so fast that she couldn't read it. But she knew she can see herself that way as she closed her eyes in her patience. She was under some sort of frozen stasis. Her body was under cold temperatures. The pod she was in was all steel, and the glass that covered that pod made sure the outside world can't be seen. She saw herself asleep and frozen inside the same pod.

"Now you know," a Fusoan girl's voice said to Yoshika before she herself had her eyes open in the same space of darkness. There was another girl there, in some sort of girls' school suit for Fuso but navy blue in color. Yoshika's was mostly white, but blue was only serving as the sideskirts. The other girl had brown hair and bright brown to chestnut eyes. Like Yoshika, her body couldn't move. Then she continued. "There's no use in getting loose. I don't know... but I kinda figured it would be that way." This girl was right beside Yoshika.

"Do... do you know what happened to us?" Yoshika asked this, knowing her own native language was used. They were both Fusojin in nature. Yoshika asked to know if the other knew the situation.

But as much as the other girl knew, she only had the idea that she was frozen. "Wish I could help, but I can't. I'm frozen... Yoshika." She then winced at this point. Looking away, she didn't mean to call the other girl Yoshika. The real question is how she knows the name. "Wait... Did I just...?"

"Yeah. I... know you too... Hikari? Wait... I've been looking at files before... You're with the 502nd?!"

"And you were the girl in the picture! I didn't realize that there was another Fusojin in the 501st next to Sakamoto!"

"What was your role?!"

"I don't know! All I know is how to locate cores and fight Neuroi!"

And Yoshika winced at this. The ability itself isn't new, but she found another girl who could do so. "Wow... Just like Sakamoto..."

And Hikari knew that she was talking to the same person. "So you really are...? You're really a witch in the 501st?"

"Of course. I function most of the time as a medic since I have healing magic."

"I see. That..." She turned her head away to smile. "It must be a cool ability, to help others in need. They just tell me I worked the hardest in the 502nd."

"Well... that means something." Yoshika said this to Hikari with a smile. "I don't believe the value should go away."

Hikari smiled back at Yoshika for the kind words. "Thanks, Yoshika." She then heard some whooshing sound nearby before she saw another Fusojin there. It was...

"SAKAMOTO-SAN!" Yoshika shouted to see Mio was there somehow across her, in the same situation as she was.

Mio saw Yoshika Miyafuji standing still. That time, her eyes were looking normal and had no eyepatches from before. And she was in the same situation as her. "Miyafuji, do you know where we are?"

"I don't know, Major. I'm in the situation as you are," Miyafuji said before another swoosh sound was made and she suddenly saw Minna just beside Mio. "Commander!"

Minna winced at where she was. "Mio? Miyafuji? What's going on? Where's the op table? Where are we?"

Sakamoto replies. "We don't know either, Minna. It's best we stay calm."

"STAY CALM!? Do you know what that white flash was about?! I wanna know as much as the next person! We have to know what the hell happened to the war, and what was gained and lost!"

"Damn it, Minna. This isn't helping." As soon as Mio finished her remark, a lot of other swooshes were heard around them.

Members of the 501st and the 502nd came appearing, asking the same questions, and they were all in a half-circled formation. Gundula Rall couldn't believe she was seeing Minna Dietlinde-Wilcke once again. Takami was then reunited with her sister Hikari. Lynette was talking briefly with Yoshika. Eila and Sanya asked each other about what happened to them. The Romagnan witch Franceska Lucchini almost cried, and Charlotte "Shirley" Yeager calmed her down. The rest talked almost softly when suddenly in front of them, they were seeing some sort of 3-dimensional astro-chart. The whole universe was shown here, and it zoomed towards a spot where a whole solar system was later seen. A blip from one of the planets there lit up, and a big screen suddenly shows before a transmission comes in. The signal was weak with the static running on the transmission.

Soon, the transmission shows a black haired brown eyed man through the weakened static, as the transmission was attempted to being boosted. For some reason, he was holding the camera and was running while sounds of beam-fire and gunfire were heard in the background. He was seen pushing some sort steel door closed with his body before he panted. Then he looked towards the camera. All the witches in that room saw him looking like hell with some blood on his jacketed chest and the dirt and sweat on his face.

"I know you can all hear me," the man said. "Honestly... fuck... I didn't know you guys could actually wake up. The whole damn outpost is a warzone, and they're crawling everywhere. Look... It should be safe here, so listen to me... very carefully. My name is Tyler Fray. You don't know me, but I know you... witches of the 501st and the 502nd. What I'm about to tell you is completely accurate and might explain your current situation. The world you knew... No... The reality you knew...

"...is gone. The world or reality you thought you had... currently doesn't exist."

* * *

 _ **StrikeStanding692 presents:**_

" _ **WORLD WITCHES PROJECT: ASSAULT"**_


	2. Chapter 2

There were pods lined up next to each other. All of them contained the members of the 501st and 502nd Joint Fighter Wings. One thing common about them is that they wore only white bras and underwear each. They were unconscious, or more like asleep for quite a long time. The pods were grouped into two.

On one of the groups where the logo the Strike Witches was, the glass of one of the pods was becoming clearer. The redhead began opening her eyes as the glass door was beginning to slide open. As the door was already opening, she opens her eyes more and breathes more. She felt the coldness of her skin eventually disappear while she was warming up thanks to the pod. She moved a little, not considering she was wearing almost no clothes on her. She wanted to see to her safety, but she had other aims.

She breathed in and out before she started to exit the pod, and letting her feet touch the cold steel floor…

 _ **Moments ago…**_

Every witch of the 501st and 502nd are watching the black haired brown eyed man blockade the steel door. The camera was down, and it would seem he was inside a pantry of some sort. Some icy cracks were heard around, meaning it was very cold where he was. Grabbing that camera, all of the witches were then watching him hold whatever was showing them this broadcast.

" _Listen… I know all of you are shocked to hear it, but it's true._ " Tyler said this while he was panting. He could be seen blowing out warmer air in the cold. " _I don't know the full details as to how it actually happened, but I know there was a rift traveler who intervened. She goes to different dimensions as both her hobby and her work._ " He was seen taking a seat on a box before laying the camera somewhere near him as they view his full body while seated. " _It's a good thing all of you were saved just in time. The other witches in the same dimension? I don't know about that. One thing's for certain… They can't know. The Neuroi that are attacking us right now are relentless. They aren't taking anyone hostage, and are starting to take down those who are related to the rift traveler._

" _She calls herself the Magical Destroyer. Her first name is Janeth, and I'm sure she's given you this broadcast, or message, or whatever. She could do all she can from another place, but she can't do everything all at once._ "

Minna herself had been watching this broadcast and she was attentively listening. She knew there were Neuroi, but had no idea they would stay the same from the war. She was listening at his story, and the instructions given to him when Gundula Rall called her.

Looking at Gundula Rall… "Yes?"

"How does this look to you, Wing Commander?" Rall asked this not referring to the man's message but actually what they know so far.

Minna sighed quietly before her answer. "Not looking good. If what was told to us was right, then they would have started to gather other witches. Since we're seeing each other first, it would mean we would be the most useful assets to them."

"Them?"

"Whatever this rift traveler's business is with us, she has a faction. She has resources. If this is bigger than all witches combined, then what's to stop us from making an alliance?"

"You're not seriously considering working with the faction she has, do you?"

"We don't know if it's a faction she has, Squadron Leader Rall. But I know this: She has the firepower we might need." Minna looked at Gundula shocked of the Commander's answer. "I know you might see this differently, but I suggest you should see the bigger picture."

Krupinski, known as the count is bored listening and watching the broadcast while she was standing frozen beside Pokryshkin. One thing she didn't like about her the disciplinarian attitude. Though it wasn't that bad to actually speak to the Flight Lieutenant, she still felt nervous of something. She couldn't tell what it was that's stopping her.

"You were looking at me for 6 and a half minutes straight." Aleksandra Pokryshkin suddenly said this, glancing from the broadcast screen to Waltrud Krupinski. "What's in your mind?"

"Huh? Uh…" Krupinski muttered out her incomplete set of words but still looked nervous to the Orussian. "Um… Flight Lieutenant, this might be the first time we have a casual talk about everything. But… How much change do you think there is after our world is gone?"

Aleksandra took that as a good question. "I'm not a fanatic of fiction, but I DO want to see what's in store for us with knowledge of a rift traveler. And since it includes dimensions in his story, we should see not just the biggest differences. It changes our lives entirely, Flying Officer. We might as well see what we should do next. I'm up for it. I still have fresh memories as to what happened before I was brought here."

" _ **Um…**_ " Georgette Lemare muttered out and both the Orussian and Karlslander witches looked at her. "I want to say that this might be the biggest story we got to take in. Honestly, I'm still trying to process everything."

And it wasn't just her. Some of the witches seem to not take this well and are still trying hard to understand.

The broadcast suddenly brings audio of that steel door being hit with a boom from the other side. Tyler then took out what seemed to be an assault rifle of sorts. The witches don't have an idea that it's an M4A1 Assault Rifle. Though to them, it was still a weapon he could use to defend himself. He held it and made sure to aim towards the steel door while he should get out of the way in case it flies across the pantry.

Tyler then speaks out as this was happening. " _Listen to me closely. Once they find out that all members of the 501_ _st_ _and 502_ _nd_ _are alive and well, then they'll start the major attacks across different versions of Earth, like yours. I don't know why, but that's what was told to me, ladies! It isn't a very steady situation. She'll be telling you guys to get loose. Last I heard, you were all in a frigate when a Neuroi sub-fleet began attacking the frigate's fleet. Escort ships got them diverted for now, but you gotta follow Janeth's instructions in order to get clear. You're not safe, and I mean it._

" _You're all in stasis pods and I assume you guys knew. These bastards are gonna come in soon, and Janeth should-_ " Tyler was cut off with an explosion blowing off the pantry's steel door. A magic shield was raised in front of him as beam-fire came from the outside. He hugged the wall near the door before he returned fire with a full burst of his assault rifle. A series of beams came from outside, and one of the beams hit the camera. Static was seen on the screen, meaning the broadcast could have stopped with the camera's destruction. Then, the screen turned to the view of someone's back standing with her back against the camera, and facing the stars. She looked to be short at 5 feet 3 inches, or 160 cm. She has white attire worn on her. She's described to have a sunhat, a collared upper garment with a chain-link armor around her chest and torso with short sleeves from the garment, a thigh-lengthened dress with knees visible, and short boots. Her white umbrella, usually opened or closed, is part of the attire. Her Soul Gem is worn on her wrist.

Turning around, the girl with the white sunhat show herself before she took off her sunhat. She has jet black hair, and green eyes that looked at them. With her face, the witches had a clue she was part Asian. She smiled at them before she spoke up. " _It's nice to see the Strike Witches and Brave Witches together here. I really can't believe I'm able to meet all of you._ " Then, her smile fades while a more mature tone comes out to speak. " _I won't waste anymore time. I'm Janeth Maria Ferrano. All of you trapped inside the damaged frigate and it is currently disabled right now. The escort ships are doing what they can to drive the Neuroi ships away from it, so you guys will have to listen carefully. Outer space is no joke at all. You attempt breathing, and there's actually no air present. You will die. None of you went to outer space, so it would matter. It's a word of warning, at least. Don't take it into mind when you're inside a space vessel. You're safe, as long as you have air, and you cherish it._

" _Alright… pressing matters. All the pods that you are in have a series of access codes that need to be used to unlock every pod. 2 special pods, the easiest to break into are already unlocked thanks to yours truly. Those pods belong to Wing Commander Dietlinde-Wilcke, and Squadron Leader Rall._ "

The whose names were mentioned winced and looked at each other. The two are important for what might happen next.

Janeth continued. " _Two of you have been given inhibitor chips. After I got you guys out of the collapsed dimension, I had to make sure you were all ready. The pods have access codes. The leaders have special inhibitor chips to give you two an advantage in computer literacy. But this is only for emergencies, which you two need now. In truth, all of you will have to learn it since technology evolved without you knowing. Rall and Dietlinde-Wilcke will be the first to wake up. There are two separate terminals for the pods of the 501_ _st_ _and 502_ _nd_ _members in the same room those pods are in. You both need to access your inhibitor chips' information about your wing members, and find hidden encryption codes. Those encryption codes contain the bulk marks. Each bulk mark contains an access code key. You need ALL access code keys per fighter wing, to get all the pods opened. Minna, Gundula… I'll call you two those names to make it easy._ "

Minna stepped barefooted on the steel floor while looking where she was… a room full of the frozen stasis pods. She blushed a little, finding out she was wearing a bra and underwear, but it didn't matter. Soon, Rall joined beside her and had the same attire as Minna had.

"Ready to do this, Wing Commander?" Gundula asked, seeing if Minna had her priorities straight.

Minna smiled before responding. "Shouldn't we always be?"

And the two nodded before getting to work. The two of them used separate computer terminals and did what they can to look at the interface. They start seeing a keyboard being deployed at each terminal, and they start typing away.

They then remembered what Janeth said: " _ **The two of you your own wing members' only chance of escape. Since both of you have the access code combinations from your biological understanding of them, only you two would be able to figure it out let them off the pods. This is added security to prevent them to be forced in waking up. I didn't take chances you would be brought to the wrong hands and be permanently finished.**_ "

 _ **Back to awhile ago while the witches were talking to Janeth...**_

" _I know it's so much to ask of you two._ " Janeth would calmly pace back and force while she looked at the witches past the screen. " _But I want everyone to live after this. You all deserved your own lives, but it wasn't the case as the Neuroi made their sneaky move before I would notice. Blast it. And now, they still have their heads too deep, thinking they could challenge my fleets. I'm gonna show them... No... I'll make sure they see me deliver a decisive blow to them if they weren't so-_ " She stopped for a while and sighed at speaking too much. " _Never mind. I'm sorry if I'm upset, but I want to make sure Existence having engaged the Neuroi was never forgotten from those moments on._ "

"I have a question," Edytha Rossman spoke out. She had short silvery hair and was straight in its style. Having a calm demeanour, she continued. "After we get loose from our stasis pods, shouldn't we find a way out? You said we were in a frigate of some sort."

" _That's true. The frigate itself isn't moving and is disabled, but it isn't safe either. After the stasis pods have been released and all of you are prepared and ready you must move to the armoury of the ship itself. Your weapons, though looking the same, have been modified. You can still use them as they are, but instead of running out of ammo on you, it counts on an overheating status as a standard too. Changing configurations can happen when you're safe, so just focus on using them._

" _There will be no doubt some Neuroi foot guards are present and possibly looked into the frigate. They're separated from the Neuroi cruisers, so it means they're looking for the pods too._ "

Gundula Rall herself chuckled softly, and all eyes were onto her. "Then that just makes our job a lot intense. I like where this is going. So... basically, the Commander and I will have to enter those codes in order to get the others out of their pods."

" _That's right. And do hurry. We don't want those foot Neuroi to find your location._ "

"Would we ever bore them?" This, Gundula Rall asked rhetorically, making Minna gulp at it.

 _ **At present in the stasis pod chamber...**_

Minna was finally finished with her set of access codes and looked towards Rall. "It's ready. Are you almost done?"

"Almost..." Gundula muttered before she would finally finish her last batch of typing and smiled. "It's ready. We sync to press in 3... 2..."

"Mark." Minna said the execution before pressing a button, which synchronizes with Gundula doing the same thing. The two terminals worked together to unlock the stasis pods, and all of them released a sort of steam. The pods were being heated up from the inside with the steam as the evidence, and all the pods were slowly being opened thanks to the glass... As members of the 501st and 502nd start to regain consciousness, the two leaders of the joint fighter wings looked at each other with smiles on their faces before running to their respective wing mates.

Kanno Naoe was just stirring awake and was certainly pissed of just getting up. Opening her eyes, she first sees a blur, then she opens to see a series of lights in a line, and feels her body was being warmed up from who knows how long she was frozen. "Aggh..." She climbs out of her stasis pod slowly. When her feet touched the floor, she tried to get her balance first. "Damn it... Of all the things... It had to be a cold floor." And she only noticed that she was in a white bra and underwear. Groaning, she felt annoyed of it. "Oh... Why in the hell are we underdressed?"

"You may as well get used to it for a while," said Takami Karibuchi who was just walking off her pod. Of course, she was taller than Nao and looked to be serious. "There might be good reasons why we all have the same attire right now. It's the same for the Strike Witches."

Nao would scratch her head while getting beside Takami. "You better be right."

Perrine Clostermann was stretching for a bit before she was humiliatingly slapped at her lowest 'behind' by Erica Hartmann before being reprimanded by Gertrud Barkhorn. The blonde Gallian sighed finding herself almost without any garments on her. Then, she saw Lynette Bishop was beside her. "Bishop, how are you calmly taking this well? We're too underdressed at this time and we don't have an idea what we got ourselves into."

Bishop herself scratched her head at Perrine's question. "You might be asking the wrong person, Perrine. Besides... We're being guided anyway, right?"

"I have more of a feeling we'll be getting into a lot of fights, Lynn. Think so too?"

"Janeth could have picked other witches, but we must be the special case. All the 502nd are here too."

"At any case, we should join them." Perrine's suggestion got them both moving towards the wing commander and squadron leader.

All members of the 501st and the 502nd had their eyes open and were looking towards Minna and Gundula in front of them.

Minna then spoke out first. "Alright... Janeth had laid out a few things. During my attempt to free you all from your sleeping state, I found ourselves a map to the whole frigate. It's a simple one we're going to follow. You should know that you also have inhibitor chips, which means you can be sent the information Rall and I have." Rall and Minna nodded at each other before they both focused. Soon, the 501st and 502nd members receive the information like it was natural to them, immediately giving them the information they need. Minna then continued. "Okay... so first thing's first: The armory is located at an end of a hallway, so there will be no doubt sentries might be focused to look down on the path."

"We need to move… and fast." Sakamoto's eyes were focused on the nearby hallway next to the chambers, seeing a squad of Neuroi foot soldiers holding blaster beam rifles on their arms. "Foot squad incoming!"

"I think we have ourselves more than prepared for now." Minna then had balled up her fists before she activated her magic. Her familiar soon came out before she looked forward towards the Neuroi foot squad. As the others have observed, she was ready. "Everyone hold your ground… and prepare yourselves."

Rall didn't want to be let up by the Wing Commander. "Think this is going to stop the Brave Witches? Everyone prep!" Rall then activated her magic and let her familiar features come out.

Sakamoto then went behind Minna. "Minna… I don't have any magic left after that battle against the hive, remember?"

"Then I suggest you stay behind. I know you want to participate in this, but you don't have any magic left. You're not dying on us yet. Miyafuji… take care of the Major." Minna's orders came immediately as Yoshika took Sakamoto's hand. The older Fusojin tried to argue, but was pulled beside Yoshika. "Rall? Shall we take over for this one?"

Rall smiled at Minna for the request. "If you think you can handle a squad, then it's fine."

"Thank you, Squadron Leader. Clostermann, Miyafuji, up front."

The Gallian witch Perrine Clostermann and the Fusojin Pilot Officer Yoshika Miyafuji got in front of everyone. Soon, the squad opens fire letting beam-projectiles come at them. Immediately, Yoshika opens up her shield to block the beams. Ordered by Clostermann to push forward, she prepares her attack signature. The two were being followed closely from behind by the others in case Yoshika's shield is lowered down. Once the squad was close to the Fusojin medic's shield, Perrine loudly recites her thunder strike magic attack 'Tonnerre', and releases a thunder bolt upon the squad. The impact was able to destroy one Neuroi core and defeats the same Neuroi that owned it.

Minna and Rall then saw their chance. "All witches, ADVANCE!"

* * *

 ** _A wrap! :) Not much to add, but I'll be putting Janeth's OC Details on the next chapter. Or... maybe you guys could check out my profile for that? It's actually there. Anyway... thanks a bunch! :) Please leave a review._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Yoshika –_** _My name, is Yoshika Miyafuji… currently the Pilot Officer of the 501st Joint Fighter Wing. I started at first just as the simple daughter of Ichiro Miyafuji, the inventor of the striker unit that witches use to fight the Neuroi. I thought I could never get the chance of using my powers since I never wanted war to hit home and for my hate of war, but that changed as I got a letter… from my father. I know he died or went missing after that explosion during his researching days, but the letter made me determined to know if he was alive, or left something for me. For that, I left Fuso with the support of my mother and grandmother._

 _It didn't just start there with how I became a witch for the 501st. My mettle was tested as I was seeing my own comrades get hurt or die on a ship I was on during a Neuroi attack… which was what gave me the push. I knew I wanted to help, so I tried flying one of their striker units for a change. Sakamoto helped me fight that Neuroi and I was somehow adapted to it. It's a good thing we were able to win against it…_

 _From then on, I knew it was the beginning. I already accepted my father died, and I had to live to his sake. So I flew the skies…_

 _I was a witch serving the 501st in Britannia, then in Romagna after some time of being a reserve witch. I already established the trust and friendship of most of the wing's members. Towards the end of my official service, I lost my power after having executed a very strong Reppuzan towards the Venezian Hive. It was a move that Sakamoto could have done, but couldn't because she has exhausted her magical power. She admitted me so much after that day, and considered me the best ally there was even for a short time. It was the end of my official mandate, but things changed._

 _I accepted to move to a medical school in Europe. But the Neuroi were getting deeper into the Gallian and Karlslander territories that we had to be careful. Shizuka Hattori was with me… but I couldn't avoid the danger. People were in danger there._

 _I even had to risk leading the Neuroi away from a town as well. It got me critically wounded. Just as the Neuroi breakout happened there, my friends all came to help… members of the 501st. I flew with them for so long I considered not just as friends. I considered a big part of me. Just by the voices I heard from them… my magic was able to recover itself. It was a close-to-death experience. I couldn't explain why, but it had to wait. Once I was healed with my own power, I got up to make sure the Neuroi are cleared from that region._

 _Once it was over, I knew I had to stay in the skies for long. It would never be truly over unless the oppression stops and the war itself comes to a halt. So I had to help fly and fight again… It's in the name of being a witch and having the power to be…_

 _I was going to help to continue in protecting everyone as I'm able._

* * *

 ** _Previously on World Witches Project: ASSAULT…_**

Tyler was cut off with an explosion blowing off the pantry's steel door. A magic shield was raised in front of him as beam-fire came from the outside. He hugged the wall near the door before he returned fire with a full burst of his assault rifle. A series of beams came from outside, and one of the beams hit the camera. Static was seen on the screen, meaning the broadcast could have stopped with the camera's destruction.

* * *

" _It's nice to see the Strike Witches and Brave Witches together here. I really can't believe I'm able to meet all of you._ " Janeth said this with a smile on her face as she talked to the witches in the black void…

* * *

Minna stepped barefooted on the steel floor while looking where she was… a room full of the frozen stasis pods. She blushed a little, finding out she was wearing a bra and underwear, but it didn't matter. Soon, Rall joined beside her and had the same attire as Minna had.

"Ready to do this, Wing Commander?" Gundula asked, seeing if Minna had her priorities straight.

Minna smiled before responding. "Shouldn't we always be?"

* * *

" _I know it's so much to ask of you two._ " Janeth would calmly pace back and force while she looked at the witches past the screen. " _But I want everyone to live after this. You all deserved your own lives, but it wasn't the case as the Neuroi made their sneaky move before I would notice. Blast it. And now, they still have their heads too deep, thinking they could challenge my fleets. I'm gonna show them... No... I'll make sure they see me deliver a decisive blow to them if they weren't so-_ " She stopped for a while and sighed at speaking too much. " _Never mind. I'm sorry if I'm upset, but I want to make sure Existence having engaged the Neuroi was never forgotten from those moments on._ "

* * *

"Clostermann, Miyafuji, up front," Minna ordered.

The Gallian witch Perrine Clostermann and the Fusojin Pilot Officer Yoshika Miyafuji got in front of everyone. Soon, the squad opens fire letting beam-projectiles come at them. Immediately, Yoshika opens up her shield to block the beams. Ordered by Clostermann to push forward, she prepares her attack signature. The two were being followed closely from behind by the others in case Yoshika's shield is lowered down. Once the squad was close to the Fusojin medic's shield, Perrine loudly recites her thunder strike magic attack 'Tonnerre', and releases a thunder bolt upon the squad. The impact was able to destroy one Neuroi core and defeats the same Neuroi that owned it.

Minna and Rall then saw their chance. "All witches, ADVANCE!"

* * *

 ** _After the new Neuroi force counterattack and before the dimensional collapse event…_**

 ** _Forests of Karlsland…_**

 ** _September 17, 1945… 1830 hours… Weather: Clear_**

The thick leaves of the forest were the only things seen at low altitude by Heidemarie Schnaufer, Erica Hartmann, Gertrud Barkhorn, Perrine Clostermann, and Lynette Bishop as they flew the five-witch patrol, led by Schnaufer. The patrol would no doubt be filled with an encounter, so they kept their eyes open during this time, while they were flying in high altitude.

Erica however didn't like how this would go. It's unusual that Neuroi could appear around their sector. This is still Karlsland after all… the very country she along with Barkhorn are taking back.

"So why are we out here when we got Sanya or Squad Leader Schnaufer to be on night witch patrol?" Erica asked this, looking bored. "We could be less suspicious with just two or three witches, but five?"

Barkhorn glared at Erica for her statement. "Hartmann, you know why we're here. Newer and newer types of Neuroi are being made at such a short time and we don't know whether they're coming from underground, or just from a part of Karlsland. I'm as dumb as you are."

" _She might have a point,_ " Perrine said as she fixed her elegant blonde and curly hair. "This kind of activity is rather suspicious to me too. After fighting that carrier with Miyafuji back at our side, I knew our advantages would be high. But that's only when we were able to get together… and just in time too."

Lynette would frown and speak up. "It isn't over yet. They still threaten Europe when they're still around, and now they're being sneaky. Next thing you know, they'd be firing at us past our shields."

Schnaufer herself could only listen to the conversation while she used her magic antennae to scan the area. She had to keep being in constant vigilance for the slightest detection of Neuroi energy or transmission around her. Though, she could shortly make a comment. "They have a new approach. We can still assume they would be on the offensive again, but we mustn't let our guard-" She stopped at the sight of a dim red glow just at a distance. She knew it was not normal for it to be visible.

Barkhorn flew forward and was beside Schnaufer while looking at the dim red glow from afar. "I see it too. Neuroi?"

Schnaufer wasn't sure what to answer but had to. "I don't know. For some reason there's no energy signature from that direction."

"It could just be a fire."

"Impossible. Then where is the smoke?" The Squadron Leader made the rhetorical question before tensing up. "Tight formation, and keep a cautious eye!"

The five-witch squad then descended towards the red glowing place beneath the trees. Then the witches started to notice something. Some trees were knocked down at that spot. Barkhorn was already getting a bad gut feeling of it, and Schnaufer had the same feeling just before her magic antennae began to go red-colored on her. Perrine and Lynette were watching around them while this happened. Ordering the squad to fly even lower, Schnaufer sees Perrine and Lynette spread their formation, as well as Barkhorn and Hartmann because of the trees. She wanted to surprise the enemy. And just as she got past the trees and had a clear view of the source, she winced. As she arrived with her teammates, they encountered a dug hole and a bright red glow was coming from beneath it. They hovered in place to see and observe.

Schnaufer knew however that the Neuroi's presence roughly came not from this level, but beneath it. "They're digging? Mm…"

"It's a dug hole, so yes." Barkhorn commented this as she looked in the hole. "The glow's fading but it's more focused on the inside. Should we follow it in?"

"No. I can't risk any of us getting cornered. If what I see is indeed correct, their aim is underground."

Erica was seeing the red glow completely fading towards the inside of the hole and groans for staying there. "Ugh… We should just chase it and be done with it cause I wanna go home!"

"And I thought you were smarter," Perrine said with the comment. "If you want to be turned into instant cheese, be my guest, Hartmann."

Erica scratches with Perrine's statement and sheepishly laughs. "Hehe… Did I say that?"

"But we can't just stay here and do nothing," Lynette commented.

The Squadron Leader then looks at the hole, and would see the glow was fading quick though it could be a straight hole down without turns. Then, she glanced at Lynette. "Bishop, try to aim your rifle towards the bottom of the hole and fire. We'll have to see if we can nail the Neuroi digging in."

Lynette was surprised, but was focused as she nodded in affirmation. She hovered just above the hole before she aimed downwards. "Hold me upside-down, please. I need to be steady and have a good angle."

"Barkhorn, Clostermann, help her." Schnaufer ordered this before the Karlslander and Gallian witches held Lynette, before turning her legs to face up, along with her body. The angle she had was straight down before she reversed the thrust on her strikers. She had a straight aim, and her finger was on the trigger as she analyzed the bullet's trajectory. Thinking the bullet will be able to travel straight down thanks to the gravity, she had no doubts and finally squeezes the trigger. The loud wave of her rifle was made as the strong recoil of it wasn't usually felt as she was upside down, so it was less than what she would feel. She saw the bullet travel straight down, hoping it would hit the Neuroi that would be digging…

Then Schnaufer looked at Lynette, now being helped so she could face back with her head up again. "Bishop, did you see the bullet hit anything?"

Lynette just shook her head. "I couldn't see the bullet down there, but I know my own rifle pulled it off. I don't miss anything."

"Perhaps. But let's-" Schnaufer stopped and suddenly went wide-eyed as her antennae reddened more before looking around. "NEUROI!" Suddenly out of the ground came black bio-metallic red spotted Neuroi that looked like scorpions that were about 7 feet tall in height and had a tail that could sting and attack at such range. There were about 7 of them, and the witches were surrounded. "No… UP!" She ordered this before the Neuroi suddenly activate an aerial forcefield. As she went to the air as the field activates, she makes an impact on the field before she experienced a small explosion and a severe amount of pain before screaming while suffering.

Barkhorn saw Schnaufer getting lethally hit by the field as she catches the currently unconscious night witch. Soon, the rest of the witches fired at the surrounding scorpions. The scorpions even made a barrier as soon as the targeted witches were in position and were close to each other Not even the rounds of the witches were getting through easily. "Damn it, no good! Squadron Leader, wake up! Hartmann, get through to Minna! NOW!"

"They're jamming our radio!" Erica shouted this as she kept firing.

Perrine was getting mixed thoughts at this. The emotions she felt were worry, rage, and sympathy towards Schnaufer. "We have to defend our own!"

Lynette however felt scared as she fired her weapon. The rounds aren't getting through the barrier. "No, no! Nothing's getting through!"

Everything then fell silent as an intense white light came from the hole, and past the soil.

"TRUDY!" Erica shouted as she was wrapped in the white light. Perrine and Lynette gasped in surprise as they were covered in it as well.

Barkhorn gasped and said one last name before being wrapped in the white light, and it was the name of her sister 'Chris.'

 ** _Present time… in the frigate hallways…_**

Barkhorn growled in anger as she punched a Neuroi foot soldier right into the face and grabbed the soldier before throwing it to a bunch of Neuroi foot soldiers, hitting them as they fell like bowling pins. She didn't know she had this kind of tendency to hate her enemies but didn't care as she kept punching them. Kanno Naoe was right behind her as she helped with her compressed magic fists. Nao had come a long way with compressing magic to help her punch. Barkhorn was different as she uses augmented magic to increase her strength.

Minna didn't know Barkhorn wasn't herself and was in fact surprised seeing the Flight Lieutenant letting it all out. Though she felt something strange, like Barkhorn was venting it out instead of being focused. "Oh, no…"

Perrine made sure to stay away from the fight as she kept sending thunder bolt after thunder bolt of to keep the Neuroi out of their hands. "It's useless you keep getting nearing us without thinking!" ' _Tch. I can already think of them as idiots or something._ '

Then the number of Neuroi foot soldiers stopped to flow after a while as Barkhorn smashed the last Neuroi foot soldier to be defeated and panted. Her fists were bruised, but so were Nao's as she approached the Karlslander Flight Lieutenant.

"Flight Lieutenant, you okay?" Kanno asked this to see if Gertrud was okay. It took a while that the silence was expressed, and that made Nao impatient. "Hey… Do you hear me?" She didn't know she stepped too far with Gertrud's falsely calm demeanor before she was suddenly slammed with a back against the steel wall by the same witch. She saw Gertrud growl and swung her fist back, then towards Kanno's direction. Kanno closed her eyes only to feel a strong thud of metal beside her. She suddenly opens her eyes seeing Gertrud's fist just an inch away from her head. ' _Wait, what in the-?_ ' Nao's thoughts ran before she saw someone pull Gertrud away from her.

Minna couldn't take seeing Gertrud's behavior of rage finally run of control in front of her. She pulled Gertrud away from Nao before she glared at her subordinate. "BARKHORN! Explain yourself!"

Gertrud tried to look Minna in the eye just before she lowered her head, still feeling the rage and letting it flow in her head slowly. "They took our lives… our world… our reality away from us… and all for what?" She then slowly raised her head before glaring at Minna. The commander winced at the Flight Lieutenant's emotion as she would swear seeing some sort of red flash within Gertrud's eyes. Gertrud then continued. "You've seen it yourself, right? Commander, as much as I want to keep myself calm, I can't. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF CHRIS IS EVEN ALIVE BECAUSE OF THIS! AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL THEY FALL DEAD! THEY CAUSED ALL OF THIS MADNESS-!" She only saw a slap from the Commander's hand towards her cheek. Barkhorn winces at this and everything stopped around her. The sound halted, and she could feel the echo of the slap in her head. All the witches saw this.

Perrine was shocked to see this happen. Then she remembered the incident they witnessed firsthand.

"Tru-" Erica tried to approach and say the name, but Perrine stopped her.

"Wait," Perrine whispered to Erica. "This is about that thing that happened."

"You mean from Karlsland?" Lynette asked this aloud, letting others hear her as well.

"What do you mean, Lynne-chan?" Yoshika was asking this in curiosity.

Minna and Gertrud weren't near the other witches as they were out of earshot from the rest, and it was the same with the others who can't be heard by the them. The Wing Commander sighed at what she did. "Barkhorn… I didn't want to do this but…"

"I was there… Minna." Gertrud spoke before slowly turning her head and felt her slapped cheek gently with her hand. She moaned in pain a little while holding that section. "That event that changed everything… I was there, together with Hartmann, Clostermann, and Bishop. There was a Neuroi we didn't know of… and it was digging underground for some reason." While Gertrud was telling this, Nao was nearby listening.

The other witches were shocked to hear the same story Lynette was telling them. Murmurs and small gasps were made at this.

"Seriously?" Lucchini would ask this to make sure.

"Lynne-chan…?" Yoshika approached Lynette and held both of the Britannian witch's hands as they shook.

Lynne tried to speak, but was still shaking, remembering that moment. "It… It happened so fast. I didn't know what was going to happen and we were ambushed."

"She's telling the truth," Perrine said this while she looked towards the other three separated witches, and towards Miyafuji next. "It happened so fast and we couldn't get through the barrier they built to surround us. It's like they know how to make shields like us. We couldn't get loose from them. The Squadron Leader was even hurt in the process of flying up but actually hit a part of the thing they made. She's rendered… unconscious."

"We just fired around," Erica continued Perrine's sentence. "We weren't sure of what to do. I tried using my Sturm at the last minute, but that white light already took us. And… we don't know how arrived at those pods?"

Perrine raised an eyebrow on Erica's statement, ending like a question. "Do you have short term memory?"

" ** _Enough,_** " Pokryshkin said. "If that story indeed checks out, Barkhorn could tell us more. Of course… Minna is talking to her right now."

Kanno had her arms crossed for hearing this but didn't want to stay silent. "At this point, if it's just the Neuroi who did it? I wouldn't be surprised. I just wanna charge in and shove something to them to make a point."

Barkhorn then looks at Kanno for that and smiles a bit. "Maybe… that gives me new perspective. And… I'm sorry."

"It's not a big deal for me. Just don't kill me with you magic again."

Barkhorn then glanced back towards Minna. "I'm sorry if I held everyone up. Once we get out of this, I'll tell you exactly what happened. The team who accompanied that night patrol will help too."

"It's appreciated," Minna replied. "We need to know every detail of that event."

" ** _I think we'll only get the partial information at this point,_** " Gundula Rall said before she arrived beside Minna. "The quicker we get to the armory, the chances we are in being armed and we can defend ourselves better. Ready, Commander?"

"I didn't say this battle is over yet, Squadron Leader. Let's get to it." And together with Rall, Minna and her took point with the rest of the witches behind.

 ** _Armory hallway…_**

Two Neuroi foot soldiers were alert, but didn't expect Erica Hartmann coming at them before she did her move. " ** _STURM!_** " She swung her hand out before she makes a strong gust with her magic, pushing one of the Neuroi foot soldiers to bang strongly on the wall while turning herself into gust and slamming on the other, destroying the Neuroi core and defeating it.

The other Neuroi foot soldier was about to recover when… " ** _TONNERRE!_** " A seemingly strong thunder bolt from Perrine hits the Neuroi soldier square to the chest and easily defeats it and blows to shards. "Not a bad way of dealing with them Hartmann, but reckless, nonetheless."

"Hmph." Erica snorted, then puts her tongue out in annoyance of Perrine. Normally, she'd be like that often with Barkhorn. Now she feels Perrine's getting into her business too much.

The witches were finally getting to the armory which had doors of steel and it would seem this one was secured well. But as Minna and Gundula both approached, a soft blue ray of light scanned their bodies, just before the doors suddenly open after a series of user interface sounds. All the witches were surprised by a situation that would appear needed Gundula and Minna's presence. The two shrugged even even when they were looked at, and forward across the entrance of the armory.

It was dark at first, but lights have been turned on to reveal there were racks of guns: Rifles, machine guns, and even sub machine guns of different futuristic types, but it would seem there were weapons that were different from the rest. Minna saw an MG 42 with a modified magazine, which had a meter of some sort and it's actually digital in its view.

The witches saw different machine guns like the DP28, Degtyaryov, Type 99-2, and the Bren light machine gun. There were also different rifles and assault rifles present… all from their time. The weapons all have a thing in particular when the witches loaded themselves except for Sanya who needed the Fliegerhammer. All the automatics have an overheat meter.

Janeth's voice was then heard over the P.A. system at first with a simple static. Eventually, her signal comes through. " _Good work, witches. I didn't know you guys can get here easily even without your weapons._ "

Sakamoto smiled at this before Yoshika stopped her. It was Mio's first time to be stopped by the Pilot Officer. Then again, she was right. Mio's phrase could have been 'There is nothing a witch can't do' when she herself isn't a witch anymore. This made her lower her head for the disappointment she caused herself for letting her magic run dry so much on her.

Janeth continued. " _Your next objective is to get to the escape pods. I'm reading there's no power in the frigate right now. So you should find a way at least the back-ups work. I'm sure you all have maps in your heads? Because I will planning leave that to Rall and Dietlinde-Wilcke. There are still some Neuroi foot soldiers present, so don't expect things to be easy. And… they could have already reported to the cruisers, so expect company soon. Any more delays, and this will not go in your favor anymore. Good luck._ "

Once Hikari knew the transmission had finished up, she held her sister Takami's arm. "Nee-chan, you sure looked excited."

Takami sure looked to be and was quite to see more action. "I'm not sure, but I feel like adrenaline had been making me excited of all this. I think I should be ashamed."

"I don't think you should. Maybe you're in a process of something?"

"Maybe." Takami would mutter the answer before she would rejoin the rest. "Come on Hikari."

Soon, the witches have assembled back at their superiors Minna and Gundula. Between Sanya and Erica, Sanya was handed over an MP-40. For the meantime, it looked to be modified like the other weapons the witches picked up. Sanya whispers a thank you before Eila suddenly pulls Sanya away from Erica.

Minna decided to speak up. "I'm sure some of you have heard, that some of us were close to where the reality flashed white on us. But I would advise we try getting to where we're intended before we think of anything else. What you've seen between Barkhorn, myself, and Pilot Officer Kanno was all about knowledge of information of what happened to us. That information, we're going to discuss once we're safe. We still have a ways to go before we reached the escape pods. And hopefully, there would still be any left."

Gundula then continued. "The Wing Commander and I talked for a while and we decided to send a team to the power core so it would be checked out. Barkhorn, you're one of the away team witches, but she is to be followed by Pokryshkin, Clostermann, Miyafuji, Kanno, and Sadako."

As soon as Aleksandra heard her name she winced, but nodded in approval, before looking at Barkhorn. "I can only memorize a lot of things, but you should take point in this since you're more of a hard hitter than I would be."

Barkhorn nods, holding two MG 42 machine guns with her. "If that's what you wish." Then she glanced towards Yoshika. "Miyafuji… You're to make sure to keep Clostermann in check. We might need to shoot past multiple targets and she could do more damage."

"Hai!" Yoshika answered.

Perrine balled her fists tight before smiling. "I will not fail, Flight Lieutenant. I battled Neuroi on the ground once."

"That was a single crawler, I would remind you." Barkhorn said this with a smirk on her face. And Perrine wouldn't be seen by many with her steaming up with Barkhorn's remark.

And so the teams were made, and Barkhorn's team was off and the other team had separated to move towards the escape pods.

Barkhorn knew how to lead, but it was rare she was on the ground, so she made sure to keep her eyes open. As her squads were focused, even disregarding they were still underdressed, they watched the walls. They last thing they'd expect are Neuroi foot squads that were close by or just at a corner.

Sadako then whispered to Nao. "Kanno-san, why am I involved in this? I don't like fighting on the ground."

"Maybe it's because you got quite the vigilance on enemies than others," replied Nao with a whisper and a smirk.

As Gertrud Barkhorn stops by the corner, she lets her eye peek past before seeing another clear hallway. "Another clear one." She then exposes herself to aim at the clear hallway with her MG 42's before moving forward, letting Perrine follow closely.

Sadako then spots an unknown figure at the end of the hallway. With only the nozzle of the attached beam-rifle seen, she was not only vigilant, but also reflexive as she ran forward. The Neuroi foot soldier spots her with its eyes flashing at her, it aims its beam rifle and fires at her. She then blocks the beams with her shield. "INCOMING!"

Nao didn't know what to say and somehow wanted to thank Sadako for saving her. She was looking at the new clear hallway when this happened. She kept vigilant deciding to do this later.

Barkhorn acknowledged the threats from the previous hallway but saw Neuroi foot soldiers coming her way from ahead. "We'll have a party then." She smirked before she opened up on the new threats. With beams coming right at her, she blocks with her magic shield. "Miyafuji, get behind me! There's a squad of them coming this way! Perrine, you too!"

Perrine then knew what this meant. She'll use the same tactic as before with Miyafuji as the shield and Perrine as the shooter. "Miyafuji, you're taking point! Get ready!" Perrine said this, and received an immediate nod from the Fusojin.

Back with Nao and Sadako, the two were in a battle. Nao covered herself with concentrated sizes of shields to block beam-projectiles coming at her, while Sadako tried to shrink her shield in order for her to fire.

"Sadako! Wanna switch to the offensive?!" Nao asked this before daringly charged ahead of Sadako with a medium-sized shield up and while she fired her automatic weapon towards a small squad of Neuroi foot soldiers.

"Kanno-san! Don't be reckless!" Sadako growls before she charged along with Nao, and Pokryshkin wanted to stop them.

Though Aleksandra knew this wasn't her field, she had to make changes and she contacted Barkhorn. "This is Pokryshkin. Barkhorn, we need to split up and cut them off! Nao and Sadako are taking point and I'm going with them. We can't let these Neuroi trap us here!"

" _Just make sure you're up for it! I got my own plan for bashing up groups._ " Barkhorn said this, while she fired her MG 42's at the Neuroi foot soldiers. "Miyafuji, Clostermann, ADVANCE!"

Miyafuji then advances to activate her shield and walk past Barkhorn. Perrine was readying another electric attack as she let her magic work.

Then Perrine ordered something. "Miyafuji, RUN! We'll make sure to get close before I hit them!"

"HAI!" Miyafuji's compliance had her to run and focus on her shielding. The hallway was quite larger, and Barkhorn has some room to charge with them. The beams were getting more frequent. They were getting close. "THIS IS IT!"

"Of course it is. NOW!" Perrine orders, then saw Miyafuji's shield shrink before she ran with her body charged with electricity thanks to her magic. " ** _TONNERRE!_** " Instead of using one arm, she used two before she let out a vicious thunderbolt at the clusters of Neuroi foot soldiers, not only electrifying them but actually hitting their cores straight. She hit 7 Neuroi foot soldiers and each of them were easily defeated and killed. " ** _TONNERRE DEUX FOIS!_** " She then released another vicious set of thunder bolts right at her foes, defeating 9 more. Soon, there was only one, which was easily dealt with by Barkhorn having bullets shred its body and hit its core to defeat it. The hallway was clear again.

But Perrine thought it was too much. She looked at her arms, a little blackened while still healing from the smoke. She knew this was too much power coming from a witch and in her mind was getting scared. As her hearing sense started to leave, so was her sense of seeing reality. And she thought of it deeply. " _What… happened to me? I didn't know I have this power before... What changed?_ " And all her senses came back when her shoulder was patted on with Barkhorn's hand.

"Good work." Barkhorn said this and looked back at Miyafuji. "Clostermann might be in shock. Check her."

"Hai!" Miyafuji then complies by looking at Perrine. The Gallian seemed to be panting and her eyes were a little dilated. "Perrine-san… Are you okay? Perrine-san?" Yoshika then tries to touch the Gallian's face when suddenly her hand was held by the same Gallian tight. "Agh! Ah-a-ahh… It hurts! Let go."

Perrine had a firm grip on Miyafuji. The Fusojin was clear to her vision and she let go. For some reason, what she felt before didn't exist to her. "I'm fine, Yoshika." She even spoke with a serious tone before looking at Barkhorn. "You noticed it didn't you?"

Barkhorn was vigilant, but looked at Perrine anyway. "I have. And I don't know if it's magic because I didn't feel it work through your attacks. Something new, Perrine?"

"I'm not sure. Whatever awaits us, we're going to find out. It didn't feel natural at first… but…"

"Don't sweat it, Clostermann. Come on. We have to catch up with them." Barkhorn then takes point for the three and Clostermann with Miyafuji followed from behind.

The Neuroi foot soldiers deployed some sort of bigger ground foot unit… an 'Assaulter.' It had a faster release rate of beams, but Kanno didn't care. She sprinted forward towards the Assaulter foot Neuroi, letting her block beams only with smaller shields while her hand charges with compressed magic.

"Wanna play dirty with bigger ones?! Let's see how you like this!" Kanno shouted as she charged before she knows she was ready for her move while close to the Assaulter Neuroi. " ** _TSURUGI… ISSEN!_** " She then punches strongly upon the Assaulter's chest area, letting her shatter its core completely. But somehow, her move made a forced wave, not only pushing back the Neuroi foot soldiers around her, but also destroying their cores in the process. Kanno felt it as well for whatever she punched, the same ones around her at a certain distance is destroyed as well. That made her defeat the other squad of Neuroi along with her move. "No… way!"

"Whoa… Kanno-san…" Shimohara Sadako was a witness to this. "Was that… supposed to happen?"

Aleksandra couldn't believe it herself, but she wasted no time and shook it off her. "That's every one! We have to get to the power core."

" ** _We're right behind you!_** " Barkhorn said this now running with the Brave Witches unit towards the power core…

 ** _Some moments later…_**

Barkhorn had been typing furiously while Aleksandra herself had been fixing a few things with the help of Kanno.

"Minna… The kind of knowledge I have…" Barkhorn muttered, speaking to Minna using her earpiece. She couldn't how much knowledge she could have with computers, as well as being passed of the knowledge of the ship's critical controls, like the power core's schematics as well as a way to jumpstart it. "It's really overwhelming."

" _I understand, Barkhorn._ " Minna replied this via the earpiece radio. " _What's the status?_ "

"I'm three quarters done, Minna. I just to make sure I hook up the…" Barkhorn stopped and looked at Aleksandra putting some small components on. "Sasha, I should pass something to you." Putting two fingers at her temple, she concentrated as her inhibitor chip worked its magic and passed information regarding the power core's critical components. Once it was passed, Barkhorn stopped transmitting.

"Got it! Nao, pass me that large tube!" Aleksandra ordered this to Kanno who then threw it to her. Good thing that Aleksandra caught it just in time thanks to her reflexes. "Thanks. And you almost made me stumble, Pilot Officer. Hmph." Aleksandra even ignored Kanno's sheepish laugh as she put the large tube in place. Hearing clicking sounds as she attacked its two separate sides, it lights up, along with some lines and components. Soon, the Power Core lit up and its insides moved like there was something oozing to keep the power going. "Whoa… Barkhorn… Try now!"

"Almost…" Barkhorn muttered this now easily getting her progress. Putting a few more codes down, she gets a green light and smiles. She presses a huge key on the keyboard, before a sort of sound ascending around the ship was heard. Then she heard an electric jolt that was familiar to her. "That's it. Power's up!"

" _Confirmed!_ " Minna said through the radio. " _We just got to the escape pod controls. Good work. We have them activated._ "

"How much fighting did you guys go through?"

" _You should know that some of us… had some new things discovered. Anyway… Get over here. It's time you all come back to us and make your escape._ "

"Copy that," Barkhorn replied lastly before looking to the others as she walked ahead. "Alright, we're done here!" Then Perrine and Yoshika followed from behind.

"Kanno, Sadako, let's go. We're not staying here." Aleksandra smiled before she followed Barkhorn.

Barkhorn and Aleksandra's teams finally exited the power core chamber before running across the ship all the way to the escape pods. Minna and Gundula were waiting for them there. And they seem to be the last witches onboard. Finding room on the last escape pod, Minna was able to get it to eject from the frigate…

 ** _Meanwhile in Planet Extatros…_**

 ** _Extatros Central Space Command Center, Cholaris City…_**

 ** _1356 hours…_**

The world Extatros itself was looking like a paradise. It had diverse wildlife as well as various environments, and it's earthlike since the climates and environments are the same as an original Earth. A small city was located at the center of a thick forest, and it contained a military installation as well. Its technology base is years ahead of Earth's modern time, though weapons used are firing projectiles but the effects are greater and better, as well as the armor for its soldiers.

A 20 year old dark maroon haired girl with orange to gold eyes was looking at the holographic images in the Holo Hub. She was wearing some sort of gray-colored military uniform since there were a number of logos symbolizing ranks on her attire.

She observed the holographic images she witnessed. Four escape pods have been launched off the same frigate, just before the frigate had exploded and was destroyed from it. This shocked her, knowing it was too close. There were no other people in the same room that time when the girl noticed something.

Eventually, a rift opens and out came a familiar black-haired green-eyed magical girl before the rift closed behind her.

"Janeth?" The girl called.

"Hello, Captain Poulin." Janeth then headed to where Poulin was and looked at the holographic images displayed off the Hologram port. "So they made it out. Good to know."

"What just happened? There was an explosion that actually destroyed the frigate."

"That was me. I had to rift in after making sure they were off completely, and set charges to the frigate. There was no need for that frigate to be around anyway. AND, it didn't need to be captured by the Neuroi. I'm sure they've already obtained some things regarding the witches.

"We should be prepared, Jordan. I'm sure our enemies are gonna catch on."

Poulin then groaned. "If you're so good at getting to places instantly, why don't you just show off to the Neuroi and blast them all to oblivion? You can save a war."

"I can, but that'll mean denying your race to have the right to take on probably the best kind of evil there would be in the history you have with them. Besides… I can't track them, which is a first."

"Don't forget you're human too."

"Not anymore," Janeth replied. "I've… gone through a lot. All in good time, Poulin. And don't worry. I'll be around to meet the witches personally."

Jordan Poulin herself had been wondering about Janeth's origins herself. She was told that Janeth had been travelling dimensions for quite a long time. And this magical girl stayed 14 years old for a long time. She then realized herself no longer being human, that she is no longer the magical user she thought she was before.

"Listen," Janeth requested of Poulin. "I had reasons of choosing the Strike Witches and the Brave Witches in the extraction first before the other witches. But due to my rush, I have to locate the other witches. A few are already in Extatros and I gave them a home here. I'm gonna do the same with the witches and help them settle in the reality they have to face.

"They lost their home, and their supposed future lives with it. A whole dimension was destroyed, and someone has to pay."

Poulin crossed her arms. "I doubt it's all the Neuroi's work."

"I know. That's what frightens me. If it's a human, I've gotta know how and why." Janeth said this before leaving Poulin behind.

Poulin herself looked at the holographic images, seeing that the escape pods are now entering the atmosphere of Extatros…

 ** _In another viewing room…_**

Red glows moved in the lines of the walls of hexagonal design. Red hexagons even glowed at randomly placed spots.

The video display of the screen was focused on the escape pods now coming into the planet's surface. The woman was smiling. She knew that this made her happy.

This woman in particular who was in her early thirties had black hair, natural red eyes, has pale skin. She looked to have a height of 6 feet 4 inches. And she wore an elegant red dress with black hexagons on the sides while having high-hell shoes to match its theme. She looked pleased to see this as she knew she would punish someone.

A door opens to the viewing room and what appears to be a human was thrown into the room in front of the woman. Neuroi foot soldiers were standing by at the door. The man the struggled to get up and he looked towards the woman with her elegance.

"P-Please…" said the man. He looked to be in his late forties and feared the woman, clasping his hands together in prayer. "I didn't know! I swear… I never knew the frigate would be hacked just like that."

"It was… from the inside," the woman said.

"Huh? From… the inside? Impossible!"

"There was no other way the lead witches would be able to get loose from their own shackles, Grayson." The woman said this calmly to him. "At least I confirmed the rift traveler hid the chosen witches. Now I have reason to finally wage war against her."

"Well…? You… You actually did it. Didn't I help you discover this then? At least I helped you discover this yourself! Right?"

"Wrong. You assumed that I can change my mind but…" She smirked before putting her red-polished nail from one of her hands to his forehead and touched it. "…you never did from the beginning. Goodbye, Grayson." A small beam was fired from her nail and it broke through his forehead. A thin hole was made, but it killed his brain that he would fall forward and be a corpse dropping to the ground in front of her.

Then… the woman started to lick her mouth, letting her eye glow red in pleasure. "Might you be in my good grace, the Collective of the Neuroi and Neo-Neuroi would not have decided to be angry at you." She then looked towards the door, and she saw a black spider-like Neuroi come in. This creature was realistically looking like a spider with red hexagons. It appeared however that it was like it was covered in a crystalline body. "Commander… Our witches have finally surfaced. She lied to us. Now she'll know our power. Prepare your forces."

"As… you wish." The commander said this before he narrowed his eyes, aware of what's to happen.

And so… the Collective begins to mount their attack.


End file.
